Trump backtracks on Obama as ISIL founder: ‘They don’t get sarcasm?’

Donald Trump on Friday backpedaled on his assertion that President Barack Obama founded the Islamic State, blasting “[r]atings challenged” CNN for seriously reporting what he suggested was a sarcastic comment.

The Republican presidential nominee’s reversal comes after doubling down, if not tripling down, on his claim Thursday. Trump initially made the inflammatory comment during a Wednesday evening rally in Sunrise, Florida.

“ISIS is honoring President Obama. He is the founder of ISIS,” Trump said. “He is the founder of ISIS, OK? He’s the founder. He founded ISIS. And I would say the co-founder would be crooked Hillary Clinton.”

But he didn’t stop there. The real estate mogul escalated his incendiary rhetoric multiple times on Thursday, including during a speech to the National Association of Home Builders in Miami.

“Our government isn’t giving us good protection. Our government has unleashed ISIS,” he said. “I call President Obama and Hillary Clinton the founders of ISIS. They’re the founders. In fact, I think we’ll give Hillary Clinton the — you know, if you’re on a sports team, most valuable player, MVP, you get the MVP award — ISIS will hand her the most valuable player award. Her only competition is Barack Obama.”

Trump’s comments in Miami bookended telephone interviews with CNBC and conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday morning. Trump told “Squawk Box” that Obama and Clinton deserve the Islamic State’s most valuable player award and slammed shut the opening Hewitt gave him to clarify his remarks.

“I know what you meant. You meant that he created the vacuum. He lost the peace,” Hewitt told Trump, to which Trump responded: “No, I meant he’s the founder of ISIS. I do.”

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Nesse

Don’t be mad at the Donald…. he’s possessed by a retarded ghost. He can’t help it.

Posted on 8/12/16 | 2:04 PM CET

Maria Valentina Umer

I think any intelligent individual has realised what a clown and mobster this Trump is. What is worrisome is that the same clowns in GB (Farage and Johnson) continue to play with him on back-side politics, somewhat privately, for both of these two British clowns have defected. The two of them are really along the lines of Trump: opportunists, keen on media antics. It´s only the question which one of them pulls off the most spectacular event-with-flags-and-all for the most tabloid media.

The USA is sick to the core. They have to solve their own political and societal problems. But the UK´s immitation of the USA politics worries me to death!

Posted on 8/12/16 | 6:42 PM CET

Walter S

I don’t know why he’d backtrack this. I mean, Obama and Clinton set up the conditions for ISIS, then armed them and gave them money, and are doing nothing to stop them. Obama and Clinton are both also in favor of taking them into the United States, just like Merkel in the EU. What’s so hard to understand about that?